“The truth.”

She lifted her head. “Are you kidding?”

“I know how important family is, Anna. I’m not going to ask you to lie to them.”

One corner of her mouth lifted, but it wasn’t a smile. It was a grimace. “I appreciate that, Cole. But I can’t tell them the truth.”

“Why? You think they’d tell the press that this isn’t a real marriage?”

Pain flashed in her eyes. She blinked and it was gone. “No. They would never betray me like that. I can’t tell them the truth because they’ll think I’m a desperate fool who had to marry the first man who asked.”

Hating to hear her talk about herself like that, he had to pull her back into his arms before he set her straight. “No one who knows you would ever think you were a desperate fool.”

He felt her relax in his arms and let himself enjoy holding her. Until now, he’d been totally focused on sex. But this, the warm, soft comfort of her, knowing he was comforting her too, was surprisingly nice.

She lifted her head. “I have a feeling things could get pretty messy tonight. Can you follow my lead?”

Did she have any idea what she was asking him to do? Cole Taylor wasn’t a follower. He was a leader. And yet, this tiny woman was asking him to hand over the reins.

Even stranger was the fact that he actually wanted to do it, wanted to help her, any way he could. Because she didn’t deserve to have her life turned upside down by a football player with ulterior motives.

“I’ll do it. On one condition.”

Her sweet lips parted slightly, the plump lower lip slightly damp from where she’d been chewing on it. “You’re making this a trade?”

“Oh, I think you’ll like my terms.”

Her skin flushed and her eyes gave away the desire she didn’t have the first clue about hiding from him. “You’re awfully sure of yourself.”

“That’s because I know I can deliver.”

“Deliver what?”

“I want you to promise me you’ll do anything I want the next time we’re in bed.”

Her body heated up against his, the vee between her legs the hottest of all, like a beacon drawing him in to her. “What could you possibly want to do that we haven’t already done?”

He had to smile at the fact that she hadn’t just said no. She was looking for details instead. Because she was interested. Because she wanted to say yes.

“Make you feel really, really good.”

Her response came, honest and unfiltered. “You’ve already done that.”

He slipped his hands around her incredible ass and tucked her up against his hard-on.

“I’m very glad to hear it, sweetheart. But trust me. There’s more.”

“More?” Disbelief warred with anticipation on her beautiful face.

He had her.

“Is that a yes?”

She bit her lip again. “Yes.”

He couldn’t stop grinning—or thinking about how badly he need to fuck her right fucking now. Especially with the way she was pressing herself against him, little circles of sweet heat that had him a heartbeat away from ripping her clothes off and taking her on the floor in the middle of his kitchen.

“When are your parents expecting us?”

“Right away.”

Meeting her family for the first time looking and smelling like they’d just been fucking each other’s brains out was wrong. That was the only thing that could have stopped him from picking her up and making a meal out of her on the kitchen island.

Still, that didn’t mean he couldn’t kiss her, didn’t mean he couldn’t shift his thigh between her legs so that she was pressing herself into him with a desperate little moan.

On the verge of no return, he forced himself to pull back. “So, what’s your plan?”

Her eyes were hazy with desire and he felt a deep sense of pride at how long it took them to clear.

“I wish I knew. I’m hoping I’ll figure it out during the drive.”

Cole surprised himself with the rumble of laughter that escaped his chest at her completely honest response. Usually when his dick was this hard—fuck, had it ever been this freaking hard?—he wasn’t sitting around thinking how cute the woman was. He was just focused on fucking her.

Somehow, Anna managed to be both astonishingly sexy and cute as hell.

“Stop laughing. It’s not funny.”

But now that he’d started, he couldn’t stop, and then, neither could she.

It felt good to hold her and laugh together.

Damn good.

* * *

“Cole and I have been together secretly for months.”

Half a dozen gasps rang out throughout her parents’ living room and Cole worked like hell to keep a straight face.

They’d literally just walked in the front door. Her father and her sisters’ husbands were all clearly starstruck, which he hoped would work in their favor. Her sisters looked surprised, maybe even a little envious.

Her mother just looked mad.

No, he quickly realized, it wasn’t anger. She was hurt. And disappointed.

Guilt knocked into Cole’s gut. Last night at the club when he’d asked Anna to marry him, he hadn’t thought about anyone else. Just himself. And now eight strangers were looking with confusion at the woman he’d dragged into his mess.

He hated the thought of anyone being upset with Anna.

She really was a good girl, in the best kind of way.

Whatever he had to do to make this up to her in the end, he’d do. It wasn’t going to be money, he knew that now. Hell, even pleasure wasn’t enough. He needed to give her something more, something bigger even than riches and mind-blowing sex.

But what?

What could he give her that she really wanted? And that could only come from him?

Clearly nervous, but determined to continue the riveting little story she must have concocted in the car, Anna said, “Cole wanted to meet you long before now. He practically begged me to come clean with everyone about us, didn’t you, honeybuns?”

Honeybuns?

Shit, he couldn’t laugh. Not now. Not when she was trying so damn hard to make it all sound real.

Obviously not realizing she’d just given him a totally ridiculous nickname—although he did have a pretty awesome ass—her expression was totally earnest as she reached for his hand, gripping it so tightly that her nails dug into his palm.

Crazy bastard that he was, he actually found himself hoping she’d mark him so that he could have a reason to bend her over later and “punish” her by spanking her sweet, round ass.

He somehow managed to get the words “I did” out with a straight face.

“It’s just he’s so famous and I really wanted him all to myself, at least for a little while.”

Surprised to find himself wishing they’d actually had some time together out of the public eye, he agreed. “The press can be pretty hard to deal with.”

“But Anna, how could you get married and not tell your own family?”

Anna’s face fell at her mother’s soft question and he wanted to jump in and save her so badly he had to grit his teeth together to keep his mouth shut. They’d made a deal. He was going to let her lead at dinner...then she was going to follow his lead in bed tonight.

His dick jumped to life in his pants. Crap, that was the wrong thought for a family gathering.

“I’m really sorry, Mom.” She looked around at everyone, her lower lip starting to quiver.

He pulled her closer. “You’re right. You all should have been there. It’s just—I didn’t want to take away from Jeannie’s special day.” And then she looked up at him. “And I finally had a chance to do something special with Cole. I had to take it.”

He couldn’t look away from her, couldn’t stop himself from leaning over to kiss her sweet, trembling lips.

“This just might be the most romantic thing that’s ever happened.” Jill was the first one to hold out her hand. “I’m Jill. It’s so nice to meet you. This is my husband, Brian.”

Cole shook hands with Jane and Alan, Joanne and Chris. Anna’s father moved out from behind his kids. “I’m not going to pretend that we don’t wish we’d known about you before now.